Palm Sunday is a holiday that is enjoyed not only by adults, but also by children. It is also very interesting and joyful for them to go on the eve of the holiday to the river or to the lake, pick twigs from the willow, and go to church in the morning to consecrate them.
So that the knowledge of the child is not limited to this, you can tell him about the holiday in more detail. After all, this celebration has its own informative history, interesting traditions and customs.
It will also be useful for the children to know that the celebration has a second name - “The Lord's Entry into Jerusalem”. And how to tell children about the history of the Palm Sunday holiday, so that they are interested, we will find out further.
In order for the history of the Palm Sunday holiday to be interesting for children, it should first be explained that this celebration is closely connected with one of the biblical legends, where, as, indeed, in most others, Jesus Christ is at the core. Therefore, the holiday has another name - the church one - "The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem."
When Jesus walked the earth, he preached the name of God, healed from incurable diseases, and raised people from the dead. During this time, many people joined him. Jesus had even more supporters when he performed another miracle.
On the eve of Palm Sunday, he was in the city of Bethany. Walking through the streets, he met Martha - the same woman who smeared with myrrh (sacred oil) and wiped Jesus' feet with her hair. She was in despair and cried, because 4 days ago her brother died of an illness.
Jesus, learning about this, wept, and then went to the cave, pushed away the stone and cried out: "Lazarus, go." He immediately got up and left. Many watching this miracle believed in the existence of God and converted to Christianity.
The next day, Jesus Christ, along with the apostles, went to Jerusalem. In this city, death awaited him. But Jesus knew about his fate in advance. He came to death voluntarily to die for all human sins on a large wooden cross on Mount Golgotha.
The disciples of Jesus dissuaded Him, asked Him not to go there. But Christ was steadfast. On the way to Jerusalem, he asked one of the apostles to find and untie a young colt, which no one had sat on yet.
On it the Son of God went to the gates of the city. When people saw Jesus sitting on a donkey, they began to shout out "Long live the Son of God."
The people spread their clothes and threw palm branches under His feet. It was precisely this event that became the main reason for the formation of the Palm Sunday holiday, or the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.
But why do they consecrate willow branches in Russia, and not palm branches? Because it is in our country that during the onset of the holiday willow begins to bloom, covered with beautiful fluffy balls. Here is such Short story holiday Palm Sunday for children.
Palm Sunday comes a week before Easter - the feast of the Holy Resurrection of Jesus. It is followed by Holy Week.
It was during this period that Christ was taken into custody, stripped and forced to carry a heavy wooden cross to Mount Calvary. He was then scourged and crucified on a cross with his hands and feet nailed to a tree.
Since Easter falls on April 28 this year, it is not difficult to calculate when Palm Sunday will be - April 21. It is on this day that people go to church with willow branches, pray, and then bless them.
If you tell children briefly about the history of Palm Sunday, then you should definitely mention the customs, traditions and signs observed on this day.
After the consecration of the willow branch in the church, it must be taken home and placed in a vase in a place where dust and dirt will not fall on it. A shelf where all the icons are stored is good for this.
When one of the family members has a headache, or some illness overcomes him, it is enough to attach a willow to this place. After a while, everything will pass.
The Slavs especially believed in the healing power of willow buds. They prepared various medicines from them, which were used to treat diseases.
Also in Russia, they believed that before walking the cows had to be fed with willow buds. Then they won't get poisoned. Cattle were also whipped with willow twigs before going to pasture. This foreshadowed health and his fertility.
The hostesses prepared delicious pies on Palm Sunday.
Inside, they laid several fluffy willow buds, and then treated their relatives and friends with pastries. It was believed that whoever ate a piece of the pie would definitely be cured of any disease and would be under the protection of God.
Young people in the old days believed that willow gives strength and courage.
To do this, they made amulets and talismans from plant buds to help them in difficult situations. It was also customary to stick a willow branch into the roof and wall to give more strength and confidence.
Elderly people did it to drive away from home evil spirit. Willow branches were also stuck into the ground during sowing. People believed that this would give a good harvest.
On Palm Sunday, it was customary for our ancestors to organize fairs. They could not only enjoy delicious pastries and hot drinks, but also buy a toy or candy.
There were also festivities on this day. Whipping each other with willow branches was considered one of the most fun entertainments. The one whose branch was left without a single kidney lost.
Our ancestors believed that on Palm Sunday it was possible to predict whether the harvest would be good or not. For example, if it rained on a holiday, then people expected a rich harvest, if it was dry and sunny, then a meager one.
The wind could tell the weather. If it was strong, windy weather was expected for the rest of the year. If he was weak, or completely absent, then people hoped for the sun and warmth.
Many customs were associated with willow branches among our ancestors. On a holiday, they went to the river and lowered them to the surface. If they were swimming, that was a good sign. The family was waiting for prosperity and happiness in the coming year. But if the branch remained in place, then nothing good could be expected.
By the number of buds on a plucked branch, one could judge wealth. The more of them, the better for the well-being of the family.
Young girls were guessing on Palm Sunday. The most popular was the call of the groom. In the morning it was necessary to get out of bed and not talk to anyone, then go outside and call the betrothed several times loudly in all directions.
The girls believed that this predicted marriage in the near future.
The Lord's Entry into is an ancient holiday for all believers, which is celebrated on Sunday one week before. The solemn entry of Jesus into the capital of the kingdom of Israel marked his entry into the path of suffering on the Cross. This holiday is called Palm or Palm Sunday. The name is associated with some historical traditions of those times.
To understand the reasons for such an unusual name, it is necessary to study the history of Palm Sunday. The Jews used to solemnly greet kings and conquerors with joyful exclamations, with palm branches in their hands. According to the Old Testament, this is how Jesus entered Jerusalem, but his glory was not in victory in war or kingship in the state, but in victory over death and sin. The Jews voluntarily glorified Christ before their death, thanking him for voluntary suffering dedicated to the entire human race.
In Russia, this celebration is traditionally called Palm Sunday. The reason for this name is that the Slavs replace palm branches with willows, since they are the first to bloom in spring. Willow branches symbolize the branches that the Jews held in their hands when they met Jesus in the ancient city. In southern countries, branches and flowers of other plants, usually palm trees, are used instead of willow.
On this day, those who pray seem to meet the invisibly walking Jesus and greet him as the conqueror of death and hell. People read a special prayer for the blessing "vay", during which they hold lit candles, flowers and willow branches. Willow, sprinkled with holy water, it is customary to carefully store throughout the year and decorate the icon in the apartment with it. In some families, there is an interesting custom to put a willow in the coffin of the deceased as a sign that he, according to the faith of the Son of the Lord 
will conquer death, rise again and meet Jesus with a consecrated willow.
On the day when Palm Sunday is celebrated, it is customary to lightly hit relatives and friends with a willow. After the morning prayer, to which small children are not taken, parents lift the children out of bed with light blows of willow branches, wishing them health "like a willow." It is also believed that if you eat a bud of willow sprinkled with holy water, then important matters will be resolved and cherished desires will come true.
On this holiday, willow bazaars are traditionally held, where children's toys, sweets, books and, of course, bundles of willow are sold.
Elena Vasilyeva
Open lesson on the theme "Palm Sunday"
[Direct educational activities in middle group on the topic:» Palm Sunday.»
Vasilyeva E. A.
Educator of a preschool educational institution "kindergarten No. 243 open joint-stock company "Russian Railways", Trans-Baikal Railway.
Software content.
To instill in children a sense of love and respect for the cultural traditions of the Russian people.
Develop interest in folk holidays, understand their meaning.
To educate moral feelings by introducing children to the culture of the Russian people.
The stage is decorated in Russian-folk style (Painted wooden spoons, Russian scarves, Petrushka.)
Children to the tune « Palm Sunday» enter the hall, stand in a semicircle.
The teacher asks a question: "Guys, what time of year are we now? (Spring.) On what basis did you identify. What spring has come? (Snow is melting, streams are running, the sun has warmed, birds have flown in from warm lands.) Well done! Let's sing a song about spring. (song "loudly, dripping drops." Good. children sit on chairs. The teacher thinks riddle:
Violently the river tears
And breaks the ice
The starling returned to his house,
And in the forest the bear woke up.
A lark trills in the sky Who has come to us? (April)
Correctly! We are now in the month of April. In it Sunday everyone will celebrate « Palm Sunday.» Today I will tell you about this holiday. Look what beautiful branches I have in my hands! What tree do you think they are from? (willow) What do you see on them? (fluffy buds.)
Since ancient times, there has been a belief that a blossoming tree can convey health, strength, beauty to everyone who touches it. (Children stand up and each take a branch willow and spend it on the cheek, palm, nose. Next, the children sit on chairs) The teacher continues.
Willow the first of the trees in our area is awakening from its winter sleep. The people think willow miraculous plant. Illuminated in the church willow she protected the house from fire, cattle from disease, and crops from hail. And also in « Palm Sunday» twig willow you need to touch all your relatives and relatives in order to protect them from diseases and so that they are healthy. And when you touch with a twig, you are sure to say (passes, touches each child with a twig)
Willow, willow
willow whip,
Willow whip-
Beats to tears.
Willow is red
Hits in vain
Willow is white
Beats for the cause
willow whip
Beats to tears!
Willow beats!
Willow whip-
Beats to tears!
Then the children are invited to the stage at the merry bazaar, where sweets, toys, painted spoons, scarves, matryoshkas lie. The teacher tells the children about how the market used to be held in Russia on « Palm Sunday.» The performance was started by cheerful Petrushka, and today he is our guest. (Petrushka enters, greets the children and asks to tell a spell about spring)
invocation: "Come spring,
Go red
Bring a rye spike, an oat sheaf,
Great harvest in our region!
Parsley invites children to dance with spoons. After the dance, he treats children with lambs and talks about how in the old days our grandmothers treated children to such lambs. Petrushka says goodbye to the children and leaves.
The teacher tells the children about the Palm Sunday It is customary to make paper flowers and give them to the one you wish happiness. Invites children to the table and offers to make a sprig of happiness. To do this, pre-cut paper flowers are strung on a twig. Every child takes this branch of happiness home and gives it to their relatives for happiness.
Lyrics6
Again willow in our hands
Children praise the Lord
He rides on a donkey himself
We will meet him too
Chorus:
Palm Sunday
Life on earth, awakening
God's blessing
All fields and forests
Palm Sunday
Singing in Jerusalem
hands with branches verbal
Reaching for the sky.
Next, the children sit on the chairs and the teacher sums up lessons, asking the children about what they liked the most, what they remember the most. (Parsley, lamb, sprigs of happiness, dance with spoons.)
The sixth week of Great Lent is coming to an end. And with that, the post itself comes to an end. The sixth Sunday, Palm Sunday, is coming. In Slavic, the sixth week is the Week of Vay, that is, branches, and another name for it is Flower-bearing. Such a special holiday. Preparations for Holy Week and Easter have already begun.
And we tell our children about it in advance.
Entering Jerusalem - a story for children and about children
We open the Bible, preferably with good illustrations, and talk about how the Lord began His journey to Jerusalem, to suffering, crucifixion, death and Resurrection. You can, of course, tell in your own words and use “pictures” on the Internet as illustrations. First, we tell about the friend of God Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary. How Lazarus fell ill and died, and how Christ resurrected His friend: "Lazarus, get out!" And then, actually, about the entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem. And about the colt, which no one had sat on before. Here you can also remember the old riddle: "I have not been to paradise, but I wore Christ God on myself." It's a donkey, of course.
We also tell the children about how people greeted the King-Christ with cries of "Hosanna in the highest." And of course - about the children, about the kids, who also greeted the Savior.
In our home books and just on the Internet we find icons of this holiday. And of course those where there are these kids. On the icon of the Entrance to Jerusalem, babies in white shirts are everywhere: they spread their clothes on the road, and in their parents' arms they wave palm branches, and even sit on trees - to pick branches to meet Christ, or maybe to get a better look at Him ... At Vespers on Saturday, our children will see this festive icon on a lectern in the middle of the temple. And even kids will recognize this image. They recognize the donkey on which the Lord rides to Jerusalem, and they recognize these children with twigs in their hands. But our children will also have twigs in their hands at this time ...
This is how we prepare children for the meeting of this feast, the twelfth - one of the twelve greatest church holidays.
Children who greet Christ are one of the miracles of Scripture
All our church holidays are, of course, special. And, of course, they mean a lot to every person - for a family and a monk, for an adult and a child. But this particular holiday - - especially "children's". Just because of the kids on the holiday icons. After all, these children are one of the miracles of Holy Scripture.
I didn't pay attention to this before. It seems that she herself grew up in the Church, and received some kind of education. And for some reason this miracle passed me by. That is, it would have passed by if it were not for St. John Chrysostom. In his interpretations of the psalms, he dwells in detail on the well-known words of King David: “From the mouth of a child and pissing you have made praise” (Ps. 8: 3). That is, babies and nursing suckling mother's milk glorified God. For some reason, I perceived these words abstractly, in general - sort of like "every breath praises the Lord." But it turns out that we are really talking about a miracle, and a miracle that happened once in the entire history of mankind. It happened precisely at the time of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem, and several thousand years before that, the king-psalmist had just predicted it.
This is not an image, this is a reality: when Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, newborn children, who still could not speak, began to speak. They spoke words that were understandable and clear to everyone.
“So great and powerful is this sign.
…he<царь Давид>he did not only say: "infants", - so that no one would understand them as mild-mannered and simple people, but added: "infants", - indicating their age by pointing to food; He did not only say, "infants," but he added: sucklings, who had never yet taken solid food. In fact, it is amazing not only that they uttered words, and clear words, but also that countless blessings were expressed by these words. What the apostles did not yet know, the children sang.
In addition, the prophet here inspires something else, namely, that those who approach the Divine teaching should be children in their souls. Indeed, whoever does not turn to the Kingdom of Heaven like a child, says the Lord, cannot enter it (Matt. 28: 3) ”( John Chrysostom, saint. Conversations on the Psalms. Conversation on Psalm 8).
So the upcoming holiday is really a holiday for kids. And we definitely pay special attention to this fact for our children. And so we make this holiday closer, more understandable for children. And most likely, not only for children.
And we can also pay attention to other important points. For example, that the people met the Savior, glorifying Him as the King. And just a few days later, people shouted: “Crucify, crucify Him” and “We have no king but Caesar,” calling for the execution of the painful death of the One Whom they so enthusiastically welcomed. This is a solemn, festive story - and a story of infidelity, a story of betrayal.
You can talk about this with older children. If there is something to think about, then think aloud, together with your children, discussing with them the sermons read or heard in the temple about this holiday. And so we will not only teach children, but we ourselves will once again learn something and comprehend.
When we teach something to our children, we teach ourselves with our teaching
After all, when we teach something to our children, we teach ourselves with our teaching. We, trying to prepare children for the holiday, are preparing ourselves in this way, shaking ourselves. So, little by little, the whole family is approaching both the Church and the holiday.
Lazarus Saturday
It is not without reason that we begin our conversation about Palm Sunday with the story of Lazarus the Four Days. These two holidays are really very closely related. The entire liturgy of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is permeated with the memory of the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus.
And now, on the evening of Friday of the sixth week of Great Lent, when the day of commemoration of the Resurrection of Lazarus comes, we sing the troparion to the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem:
“The general resurrection / before Your Passion assuring, / You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ God. / The same we, like the children of victory bearing the sign, / We cry out to you, the conqueror of death: / Hosanna in the highest, / blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
And so that the children can sing this troparion with us, so that we can sing this festive hymn at all, we, as usual, prepare the text of the troparion in advance. We write these words in Church Slavonic, beautifully (preferably, of course, beautifully, but it depends on who writes). Clearly, in large letters, with a beautiful first letter "O". We decorate with an ornament or whatever the children want. This time, a donkey peeps out of the initial letter - the same one that "carried Christ the God on itself." And, of course, there are palm branches or willows around.
With the help of such “crafts”, children prepare for the holiday, and remember (or learn) the words of the troparion, and master Church Slavonic to some extent. We hang this troparion next to the icons, we will sing it after evening prayers on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. And we will sing instead of "Our Father" before eating. So we will quickly remember it. And most importantly, in this way we will constantly return to the memory of what events we are celebrating, how our Church lives now. This is how it turns out religious holiday comes to our house and becomes a part of life, a part of the life-being of the family.
And in the morning we read today's Gospel. Children are already familiar with the plot, so you can read in Church Slavonic. And then instead of the stingy one: “Lazarus, come out!” - we will hear this powerful: "Lazarus, get out."
And, of course, on Lazarus Saturday we eat fish caviar. It doesn't matter which one - red, or capelin, or pollock. It is important that it be caviar. After all, this is not just a “relaxation of fasting”. Caviar in this case plays the same role as an egg for Easter. Indeed, from an egg, from a small ball, in comparison with living beings - a dead one, a new, living fish grows. This miracle of the birth of the living from the dead is just reminiscent of the event of Lazarus Saturday, of how Christ resurrected a dead, already “stinking” (children say: “completely, completely dead”) person, made alive.
And we remind our children of this. And we read something at the table. For example, if for some reason we didn’t make it earlier, then better late than never, we talk about the resurrection of Lazarus and the entry of the Savior into Jerusalem. And if everything is according to plan, then we read, for example, the life of the saint himself, a friend of Christ Lazarus. Or some fragments from the sermons of saints or modern priests about this holiday. But if something with a plot, like the same life, can be read for a long time, in its entirety, then one cannot read more than a couple of phrases, a couple of paragraphs from sermons. This is already too difficult food, which, like medicine, must be clearly dosed.
Palm Sunday
We remember the resurrection of Lazarus - and we are already preparing for tomorrow's holiday. The brightest and funniest thing about this is the preparation of willows, our Russian fronds.
Be sure to talk with the children why we are preparing willows. Because the Lord was met precisely with branches. And since then, on this holiday, the people also meet their King-Savior with beautiful branches and also sing: “Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord.” In warm regions, people prepare palm branches for this holiday. In many countries this day is called "Palm Sunday" - Palm Sunday, for example. And we have palm trees growing in limited quantities. And the branches of our trees in the spring are very unsightly and bare. But just now the willows are blooming with beautiful fluffy "bunnies". It is these beautiful branches that are available to us that we bring to the temple to meet our Lord.
Remembering other countries is a must: it shows children Christian culture as the culture of the whole world
We remind you of other countries for sure. This shows our children Christian culture as the culture of the whole world, and not only as “our Russian folk custom”, “our folk faith”.
Therefore, it may be interesting and appropriate to search the Internet with your children for information about how Palm Sunday is celebrated in different countries. Think about what in these traditions is the preservation of the Christian faith, and what is just folk customs, sometimes alien to our faith.
And if we look “like they do”, then it’s time to remember our unique Russian Orthodox traditions. And there are. First of all, you can tell the children about the “March on the Donkey”. The main version of this "procession" is a real "living icon" of the holiday. It took place in Moscow, on the Cathedral, and later - on Red Square. The Metropolitan of Moscow or the Patriarch, representing a living image of Christ, sat on a donkey. This donkey was led by the bridle by the king, showing his humility before Christ. Children sang "Hosanna in the highest", people spread their clothes in front of the donkey. This tradition turned out to be one of the main and most impressive annual events in medieval Moscow.
We remembered the traditions of our native antiquity - and we will return to the present day. Namely: let's prepare our willows, with which we, like our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, will welcome the entry of the Savior into Jerusalem.
Many of our friends on Lazarus Saturday go with the whole family to the forest in search of beautiful twigs. A great reason to take a walk together in the spring forest. But we have these walks, unfortunately, are obtained very rarely. In addition, for some reason, you are always unlucky: solid willows come across, with green branches. But bright dark red willows with white or gray-white “tails” are still not found. Therefore, with us, wild people, everything happens uninteresting and prosaic: we buy ready-made bunches of these beautiful twigs. We take a little (for each bunch it turns out to be too expensive, and why so much?). And at home we divide everything bought into the required number of bunches. We tie the branches with ribbons, each has its own color.
Once we could not find a willow anywhere. And already on the way to the temple they bought flowers - they gave each child a small flower. Week something after all "Flowering". And in the temple, one person shared with us a willow, another - and now almost all the children ended up with willows.
These branches are consecrated in the temple during the vigil (Saturday evening), as well as on the very day of the holiday. When the willows are consecrated, everyone raises them above their heads - as if a garden is being formed. Almost like on the Trinity: in the temple - trees.
Ivan Shmelev describes the path of the willow on this day in this way: “They will sprinkle it, it will glow in candles, and they will take it apart, take it home, take it home ... - they will put it behind the icon and will remember it.” By the way, Shmelev's memoirs can be read to children at night, on Saturday evening. One can also recall Blok's poem "Boys and girls carried candles and willows home." This poem, even without any home education, children should know: it is passed through the program "School of Russia" in the elementary grades at the lessons of literary reading. And our children also love to sing it.
Like Shmelev, like our Russian people, we put these willows to the icons at home. Then, on Easter, we decorate our holiday installations with these willows: we put them on the window, where we put painted eggs on the grass, to our Easter tree. When I began to go to church on my own, without my parents (and this marked the short time of my "youth"), I put my small bunch of willow at the foot of the big cross. I thought: as if I were putting these branches under the feet of Christ, who is going to suffer in Jerusalem. And then I came to the same temple for the twelve Gospels, when the cross is brought to the middle of the church. And I saw this bunch of mine: they left it in the same place where I put it. For me, it was like the Lord accepted my willows ...
True, where to put the willow after consecration is not a matter of primary importance. It is more important to convey to the children the meaning of the celebrated event. After the evening prayers, we will read the Gospel that will be read tomorrow at the Liturgy. In Russian or Slavonic. The main thing is to read at all. To once again prepare the children for the holiday, to prepare ourselves once again, and so that tomorrow the children will meet and understand the Gospel reading at the service.
On the morning of the holiday, we go to the temple.
And the awakening itself today can be special. According to the memoirs of Klavdia Lukashevich, a children's writer of the early 20th century, on the day of the holiday they woke up children with a light pat on the cheeks of the willows: “Willow whip, beats to tears!” So we can wake up children. Unless, of course, they jump out of bed before their parents. We get dressed, hurry up. Do not forget the cooked willow, which was put into the water at night.
Usually on this day, as on every twelfth holiday, we all take communion. And then home. Where we are waiting for a festive table. Special - fish, because today is again an indulgence in fasting. As usual, we read something about the holiday at the table, and, as usual, very little.
On this day before the revolution (or, as the believing grandmother of Academician Sakharov said, “in peacetime”), special pre-Easter fairs were held in Russia. As Ivan Shmelev recalls, “there is a great bargain - holiday goods, Easter toys, images, paper flowers, all sorts of sweets, different Easter eggs and - willow ... it has become so customary from antiquity: you need to stock up for the Bright Day." Today in Russia such fairs are more exotic than usual.
So we do not go to fairs, but at home we carry out the last revision: is everything ready for the holiday? We take out all the old stocks: last year's crafts, wooden eggs collected over the years of our family life, all the towels, embroidered napkins, Easter inscriptions, pastries and forms for Easter cakes. We also write a list of what we need from the products for Easter. If possible, we buy everything that does not spoil in advance in order to spend Holy Week calmly and without fuss. , I already wrote, and this is a completely different story.
Meeting with the holiday is not the result of our “correct” labors, but the grace of God
In the meantime, we are celebrating the wonderful feast of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem, the eve of the suffering and resurrection of Christ. We celebrate it with the whole family, together with the children. To then live together and survive the coming great days of the passions and death of the Savior. So that later we can come together to the most important holiday of the year, to the most important event in our life and in the life of all mankind - to the Resurrection of Christ. What we pray for all these days. After all, meeting with the holiday is not the result of our “correct” labors, but rather the mercy, the blessing of God. That’s why it happens: everything seems to have been done “correctly”, but there is no joy in the soul, there is no meeting with God ...
After all, looking at icons with children, singing troparia, preparing bouquets of willow is not difficult. These are only means. This is preparation. And the task is to live with God, to enter into the joy of your Lord. Together with children.
And only the Lord can give us that. And hardly for the fact that we brought the children to the service. Rather, it is how we ourselves meet the Savior, both today and always, that matters. And we have to remind ourselves that our Savior does not need willows, Easter cakes and painted eggs, not festive scarves, and even read rules, but our heart, contrite and humble. Which God will not despise and to whom He will give His grace. Grace that will cover our children and enlighten us. After all, only with God's help can we really enter the feast, enter the Church and bring our children to God.
Palm Sunday for children.
Boys yes girls
Candles and willows
They carried it home.
The flames are warming
Passers-by are baptized
And it smells like spring.
The wind is distant
Rain, little rain
Don't put out the fire!
Palm Sunday
I'll be the first to get up tomorrow
For the holy day.
(A. Blok)
Hello, dear moms, dads and all visitors to our blog about creative development 
children!
Just over a week left until Easter!
And today we begin our Easter Waiting, we begin to prepare for Easter together with our kids.
And if you haven't joined us yet, you can do
I propose to begin our Waiting for Easter with a story about what Palm Sunday is. The text below will help you with this. I made this for my daughter's birthday party.
But one text will not be enough. If possible, go to church with the baby and bless the willow branches, do it, you can offer the child coloring pages on this topic.
Be sure to watch a video about Palm Sunday on YouTube, listen to the music. On the Internet, I found this song performed by Elena Frolova "Palm Sunday", you can use it.
So, let's start - Palm Sunday for children.
Dear children, tomorrow we will celebrate one of the great and bright holidays - Palm Sunday, or in other words - the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.
On this day, Jesus Christ, our God (Lord) entered Jerusalem. The inhabitants of this city met Jesus joyfully and solemnly. They held palm branches in their hands and threw them at his feet. All people had heard that Jesus healed the sick and performed miracles. Therefore, he was greeted on this day as a king.
Here, in Russia, this holiday is very revered, but since palm trees do not grow in our country, and there are no palm branches, we take willow branches.
After all, willows are the first to wake up from their winter sleep, and Palm Sunday comes to us in early spring, when the buds have not yet blossomed on the trees.
Therefore, our holiday, in Russia, is called Palm Sunday. It is celebrated a week before another great holiday - Easter.
On this day, it is customary to go to church for a festive service and consecrate willow branches there, in memory of the fact that Jesus entered Jerusalem as a king.
Willow has been revered by our people since ancient times and is considered a wonderful plant. Illuminated in the church, she protected the house from fire, cattle from diseases, and crops from hail, contributed to the harvest, endowed with health.
And also, according to legend, on Palm Sunday, with a willow twig brought from the church, you need to touch all your loved ones and relatives - for health. At the same time, say: "Be as strong as a willow, as healthy as its roots, and as rich as the earth."
Here are some more signs associated with Palm Sunday.
If Palm Sunday is sunny, then the harvest will be rich.
If you stick a willow branch into the ground, it will save crops. If the consecrated willow is thrown into the flame, it will stop the fire.
In the old days, on Palm Sunday, palm markets were opened, where they sold willow branches decorated with paper angels, and they were called palm cherubs. Children's toys, books, sweets were also sold at the bazaar.
Willow twigs, which are consecrated in the temple, are kept at home for a whole year, until the next holiday. It is believed that they protect the house from evil forces.
And the old willow twigs are taken to the church a year later.
On Palm Sunday, it is customary to give willow branches to each other and congratulate relatives, friends and just acquaintances on this holiday.
Palm Sunday, people celebrate.
So, the summer will be bread this year.
On this day, as usual, they honor Christ,
Gracious thoughts, and the soul is pure.
And for greater convenience and visibility for my daughter, I have prepared a bright and colorful presentation "Palm Sunday", which I will share with you with great pleasure!
Sincerely.
Elena Medvedeva.
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